Italian tannery odour pioneer Aldo Cogolo passes away

Italy

Published: 06 June, 2017

Aldo Cogolo, a prominent figure of the Italian Association of Leather Chemists (AICC) has passed away. His work contributed a positive benefit to the tanning industry in avoiding sulphide odours from contaminating the atmosphere in tanneries worldwide.

Aldo Cogolo passed away on June 3, aged 80. Brother to Gianni Cogolo, who was UNIC’s (Italian Tanners’ Association) President from 1975 to 1978, and part of the 7th generation of a long dynasty of tanners from the Friuly region in Italy, Aldo Cogolo was a pioneer in significantly improving the air quality in tanneries.

The patented ‘Cogolo Method’ greatly contributed to reducing the bad tannery smells and the environmental impact of toxic chemicals during the beamhouse process. The Cogolo method was exported to tanneries in Brazil, Pakistan, Colombia, Mexico and European countries such as Austria and The Netherlands.

Not only his work helped to drastically reduce sulphide odours, but it is also linked to a solution to break down tannin effluents and helping tanneries gain economic advantages.